Leslie leads Nicholls past Southeastern

Saturday

Jan 21, 2012 at 10:55 PM

Kyle CarrierSports Correspondent

THIBODAUX — Much like she has done all season, Nicholls State guard Sumar Leslie made the plays needed to help her team win.In the Colonels 88-79 victory over Southland conference foe Southeastern on Saturday, Leslie put on a show scoring 34 points to power the Colonels past the Lions.It's the type of performance Nicholls coach DoBee Plaisance has come to expect from her guard, as the Colonels improved to 10-8 overall and 3-2 in the Southland Conference.“(Sumar) is dependable on both sides, she causes turnovers and makes things happen offensively” Plaisance said. “She works so hard outside of practice and has the confidence to take a shot from anywhere.”Against the Lions the Colonels defense also shined, forcing 21 turnovers and equaled The Lions in rebounding with 31. The Colonels scored 32 points off of the turnovers and also outscored the Lions 38-28 in the paint.“We knew we had to bring the energy tonight after a tough loss against Central Arkansas,” Leslie said. “It's all about defense and communication. We did a good job of that. This team wants to win every game the rest of the way. And that's what we set out to do.”The teams traded leads 12 times in the first half and were tied seven times.Behind 12 first-half points from Jessica Sommers and a 75 percent shooting percentage from behind the arch (6-for-8) the Lions kept the Colonels on their heels.Throughout the first half, the largest lead for either team was five points as both teams traded blows.With the Lions (5-12, 0-4 SLC) on top 39-38 with under a minute to go in the half, KK Babin drained a 3-pointer to put Nicholls ahead 41-39 at halftime. Southeastern Louisiana opened the second half with a jumper by Kelli Jenkins to tie the game at 41, but LiAnn McCarthy answered for the Colonels with a layup to put the Colonels in the lead 43-41.A Leslie jumper put Nicholls on top 45-41 at the 17:20 mark. Before a 5-0 run capped off by a Latoria Holder layup put the Lions in the lead again 46-45 with 15:38 to play.The Colonels regained the lead at the 15:14 mark on a jumper by Jenny Nash.From that point on Nicholls did not trail again for the rest of the game.With Nicholls leading 60-58, the Colonels went on a 6-0 run capped off by two free throws from Alisha Allen to take a 66-58 lead with 6:16 to play.The Colonels outscored the Lions 22-21 down the stretch and closed out the game hitting 10 of their last 12 free throws to preserve the win.Plaisance credited her team for learning from the loss earlier in the week and finishing strong against the Lions.“We put ourselves in a position to finish,” she said. “These women do not give up. They keep hustling. Keep trying to make plays. It's very comforting as a coach to know that they are going to be fighting to the end. I just respect them so much.”In addition to Leslie, Jasmine Hoskins added 16 and Babin added 14 to lead the Colonels.Jenkins (19) led all Southeastern Louisiana scorers while Sommers (15), Symone Miller (12), Brandi Simmons (12), and Holder (10) all added double figures for the Lions.Southeastern head coach Lori Davis Jones could not be reached for comment.

Nicholls State 55, Southeastern Louisiana 53 (Men) At Hammond, Bryan Hammond hit a basket with 22 seconds remaining and Nicholls State snapped a six-game losing streak with a 55-53 win over Southeast Louisiana on Saturday night. The Lions missed two shots in the final 6 seconds, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Sam McBeath scored 16 points and Dantrell Thomas added 14 for the Colonels (5-13, 1-5 Southland Conference), who shot 44.2 percent (19 of 43) from the field. The Lions shot 44.9 percent (22 of 49). Neither team led by more than six points and there were 10 ties in the game. Southeast Louisiana led 51-48 with 1:56 to play, but Nicholls State tied it 51-51on a 3-pointer by McBeath with 1:44 to go. The two teams then traded baskets, leaving the game tied 53-53 with 44 seconds remaining. Jeremy Campbell scored 16 points and DeShawn Patterson had 10 rebounds for the Lions (7-10, 1-4).

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